22 Weeks (Pregnancy #2)

May 25, 2016Angela (Oh She Glows)

by Angela (Oh She Glows) on May 25, 2016

This week has been all about the stripes! You were warned.

We had such an incredible Victoria Day long weekend; I woke up Tuesday bummed that it was all over. We spent all weekend outside and soaked up what felt like the beginning of summer. I hope all my fellow Canadians had an equally great few days, and that those of you in the US have a fantastic Memorial Day weekend!

Well, I thought it was time to check on this lil baby’s growth! At 22 weeks, baby is almost 1 pound and 11 inches in length. I hadn’t read any weekly updates in a while and I was shocked to learn she/he is already so big! It’s no wonder I feel like my bump gets bigger by the day.

Nesting: Nothing besides that short-lived 2-day burst, but I have noticed that an untidy house seems to be bothering me more than usual lately! I can only imagine how I’ll feel once the renovations start later this summer. Watch out for preggo-zilla…dun, dun, dun.

Sleep: I’m still waking multiple times per night and having early morning insomnia. I had sleep troubles during my entire first pregnancy, so I’m not surprised. Someone asked if I use any pregnancy pillows for sleeping. I’ve tried one in the past and wasn’t a big fan (probably because it was MASSIVE), so since my first pregnancy I simply sleep on my left side with a small pillow between my legs. The pillow is nothing fancy—just a small throw pillow with a pillowcase over it! I absolutely love it though.

Wearing: So many stripes! I did warn you. (I did not, however, warn you about my dorky poses.) Now that the weather is warm, I’m wearing maternity tees from Old Navy—they were my go-to tees last pregnancy; I like the v-necks and scoop-neck cuts—and also this Old Navy dress (which isn’t maternity, but stretchy, pictured right above) and this Old Navy maternity dress (pictured centre and left above). I’m still loving this ASOS maternity dress (you can see the dress on me here), and this belly support band during exercise. I still need to find some maternity jeans and shorts, but part of me is tempted to only wear dresses all summer long! Who needs pants?!

Names: I added a few more names to my list, but haven’t run them by Eric yet for him to shoot them down, heh. (We didn’t officially decide on Adriana’s first and two middle names until after she was born, so I have a feeling we might be last-minute decision makers this time too!)

Worrying about: One of my concerns lately is wondering how Adriana is going to react to her new sibling and what we can do to help her adjust to our division of attention. I’m sure I’ll be downloading a couple Kindle books on this topic just before baby arrives! It’s always hard to say how a 2-year-old is going to react to a big change. My osteopath shared a tip with me on this topic, so I thought I’d share it here and see what you guys think. She said whenever you have guests over to see the new baby, ask them (in advance) to go straight to the older sibling when they arrive (without paying much attention to the newborn, at first). When guests first pay attention to the older sibling (as opposed to rushing to the new baby and gushing over him/her), the older sibling doesn’t feel unimportant or forgotten about. She said she used this strategy with her kids, and it really helped them feel included and loved. I’m curious if anyone reading has tried this before and if you think it’s a good idea. I think it probably depends on the child’s personality, like many things.

Exercise: I’m still doing the same workout of 15 minutes Barre3 online, around 30 minutes of treadmill walking (4.6–4.7 mph, incline 3%), and daily outdoor walks with Adriana. I’ve been doing Barre3 consistently for 2 to 3 months now and I’ve definitely built a ton of muscle. One of my favourite Barre3 “hacks” is to add free weights to the videos that don’t call for hand weights. So for example, in one of my favourite videos, called “Studio To Go”, I now have worked up to 5-pound hand weights during my mini 15-minute sessions. I started off without any weights at all, but as I built up my strength I added on 3-pound hand weights, and in the last couple weeks, 5-pound hand weights. It’s a great way to make some of the exercises more challenging as I build strength. Obviously the hand weights don’t work for every exercise, but it’s easy to add them on when doing lunges, squats, etc. While preggo, I also modify or skip certain exercises as I see fit.

Skin/hair/nails: My hair and nails have been growing lightning fast throughout this pregnancy. I have to clip my nails twice a week just to keep them fairly short. My skin has been pretty normal with a few pimples now and then. Basically, not a whole lot has changed on this front! I had mild to moderate pregnancy melasma (the “mask of pregnancy”) with my first pregnancy (even with wearing sunscreen consistently!), so this time I’m being extra careful and putting sunscreen on my face first thing in the morning and then again before going outdoors. I’m also now wearing a hat when outside too (which is a good habit to get into anyway). Even with these protective habits, I’m already noticing some melasma forming on my skin. I know it’ll fade in the fall/winter, but it sure is annoying!

Aches and pains: On and off—lower back pain, front lower belly/pelvic pain, and headaches now and then. Nothing out of the ordinary for me though.

The bump: My bump feels so heavy and tight lately. I’m glad I have my support belt to put on during walks and exercise. I’m carrying really low like I did with my first pregnancy. (I read it’s common to carry even lower during subsequent pregnancies, too, so I’m not surprised!)

Cravings: Grapefruit, dark chocolate, cake/cookies/baked goods, oranges, freshly cooked chickpeas (the best!). I seem to be over my white vinegar/pickles kick—at least for now. I’m still enjoying a big batch of my All Day Glow Green Smoothie almost every day. I’ve been going through this weird phase where I open the fridge and so many foods I used to love just seem “blah”. I hope it passes soon!

Baby purchases: One “Started from the bump and now I’m here” onesie. (Who says the second child gets nothing?! hah.) I can’t focus on the nursery until we figure out what’s going on with our house renovations this summer, so it’s going to be put off for a while. We really don’t need too much for baby #2 though, and that feels pretty freeing. I remember feeling so confused about all things baby products/gear during my first pregnancy (and for a while after) so it’s nice not to have that confusion this time. I do want to find a nice all-purpose double stroller though. Ideally, one that is not super huge and clunky. Do sleek double strollers even exist? I can’t say I know anything about them. If anyone has any suggestions to throw my way, please do!

We bought the Baby Jogger City Select, which has the option of converting to a double stroller by buying the second seat. All of my girlfriends have this stroller and love it for one baby, but it’s also well loved by one of my friends who is using it for twins. The kids can face you, face out, face each other, one can face you and one can face out – basically a bunch of combinations. I would check it out!!

My children are 22 months apart. My first wasn’t speaking much at all yet throughout my pregnancy so it was hard to know what he was feeling about it or what he understood. To prepare him I just bought a few used children’s books, Hello Baby, by Lizzy Rockwell, being a favorite. We also bought him a toy that was a gift to him “from the baby” that we have him at the hospital for their first time meeting. It was funny, he cared more about the huge cup with a straw that the hospital had given me than he did about the baby OR the toy! The other part of my plan was to have him come to the hospital when we were ready to come home so that we could all drive home together rather than barging in with this new baby into his space. I think it worked, but to be honest, all of it was a non-event. He never showed any jealousy or aversion to the baby. We did tandem nurse for a while, so that may have helped their bond. Having guests address the toddler first when visiting sounds like a great idea.
Side note, funny coincidence, just like when I commented on your last pregnancy post, I’m now making ANOTHER batch of your strawberry oat bars! Ha! My 3 yr old is obsessed (ok, I am, too!). We recently moved to the PNW and the fresh strawberries are blowing our minds! So many that I have to cook or freeze them!

Hey Lori, Thanks so much for sharing your tips and experience! I’m so happy to hear it was more of a non-issue than you thought (isn’t that usually the case!). My osteo also suggested involving the older sibling in as much as possible during normal daily things. Adriana seems to be entering the “mommy’s helper” stage here and there, so with any luck she’ll enjoy helping with baby too (she gets a real sense of pride from it I think). Leaving the hospital together also sounds like a great idea. Side note: I’m so jealous of your access to uber fresh berries; I’m always shocked by how plentiful they are at markets on the west coast. I’d totally be making massive amounts of chia jam and oat bars too! Haha. Enjoy!

My nephew wasn’t quite 2 when my niece was born. I totally showered him w/ attention every time I saw him (before giving any attention to the baby), but I don’t know that it was a conscious decision on my part – I just loved him & he was my focus since he’d been around for awhile already & I had already developed a relationship w/ him & he already had a personality & feelings associated w/ that relationship. I guess what I’m saying is I don’t think you’ll need to tell people to give Adriana attention 1st; I think it will be natural. You could also encourage it, tho, by pushing her to the forefront when visitors stop by: “Look Adriana, Bill & Susie have stopped by to visit us!”

Hi Angela, I would suggest involving “big sister” whenever possible. For example, when you are going to change the baby’s diaper, ask Adriana to get the diaper. If Adriana feels included and important, she will feel empowered. It seems when kids feel excluded, there is a bigger chance for problems. Best of luck always!

Hey Leanne, Such a great idea! Adriana enjoys helping out more and more lately so I’m hoping by the time she’s 2 she’ll be eager to help out her little sibling and parents even more so. We go nuts with applause and praise when she helps out, so hopefully this is setting the stage for a smooth transition, heh.

I follow you on snapchat and am wondering where you get your cute maternity dresses from? We are practically neighbors … I live in Burlington! I am 17 weeks pregnant with my first and I think I will be living in dresses this summer. It is going to be a hot one!

Hey Heather, How fun that you live so close by! I’ve been linking to stores where I purchased my maternity dresses in my pregnancy posts, so I definitely recommend checking out the “currently wearing” section in each post. Generally my fave maternity dresses tend to come from ASOS online and Old Navy though! Congrats on your pregnancy by the way! I agree, summer maternity dresses are the way to go..I live in them!

Great tip from your osteopath – one thing we didn’t think about (and our two little ones are exactly 2 years apart), is that you may want to establish a safe place to put the baby where the toddler can’t get to him/her. You’re not supposed to leave a just-turned-two-year-old alone with a newborn for a single second (they don’t mean to do harm but accidents can easily happen!) and taking your newborn with you from room to room can make the toddler feel bad. We used a small playpen – just put our baby in a bouncy seat in there or snuggled in a nursing pillow.
Also, we love our double stroller, which is very flexible and easy to navigate (the City Select by Baby Jogger) – you can’t actually go jogging with it, though, and it’s pretty expensive.

The Bumbleride Indie Twin is the best double stroller out there, in my opinion. Fits through all standard doorways, and I loved the bassinet option for the newborn. I did a ton of research and this stroller won, hands down!

You are in the homestretch, so exciting! Good luck with everything! I hope you enjoy the Barre3 when you get back into it. I love knowing that I can just do 15 minutes and still notice a difference in my muscle tone. The workouts are deceptively challenging!!

First of all congrats on baby #2!!! I’ve been following you since your early blogging days, when you still made glow bars, and I’m excited to watch your little family to grow. Thanks for sharing! :) As for the double, I just had my third boy, and we decided on the Mountain Buggy duet. It has the same width as a single jogging stroller (selling factor for us, as we live in a tiny townhome – no space for a huge double stroller). Still in the mail, so hopefully arriving soon!

Hi Angela,
That was a great idea from your osteopath! I can say from experience that it goes a long way toward reducing or even preventing those first few mobths of sibling jealousy! I did this when my youngest was born, and in my daycare I always focus on the older sibling when “moms” bring the baby brother or sister over to meet everyone.

The most time consuming activity with a newborn is breastfeeding, so I always had a little pile of favourite books near my nursing pillow for my toddler to choose from…he would turn the pages and we would read together while I nursed…this saved a lot of jealousy, I believe :)

I find that it is often a love/ignore relationship…the toddlers switch back and forth between possessive love for their sibling and ignoring/not noticing them. This changes as they grow into teens, though!!

Hey Nicole, I’m glad that you’ve put this into practice with success too! I also love the idea of reading during nursing time. I’m sure baby likes hearing mama’s voice anyway. And yes, I can totally see how toddlers have a love/ignore thing going on…one day they are fun and one day they just are a pain! heh.

Congrats on your second pregnancy, you look incredible!
Mine are 22 months apart and my second is 10 months, so I totally relate to this. A year ago my main concerns were how my older one would react, and finding the mythical perfect double! I’ll share what i found helpful, but as you know, it’s all about finding your own groove. :)
1. The City mini double side by side GT is where it’s at. I considered the Select and i do think it’s great, but once I got over my fears of a side by side double, the GT has been amazing. Basically the longer slimmer doubles are easier to push in narrow spaces, but much harder (generally) to turn, plus, the weight can feel weird since it’s so far out in front of you. The side by side GT can turn on a dime and even with both kids in it, it feels so light! I love it.
2. Every kid reacts differently but from what I’ve heard, I think girls might tend to do better with the younger sib. My older is a girl and she adored her baby brother from the get go. Honestly, she thought he was hers! I totally encouraged her in this way of thinking, even when it wasn’t totally convenient, and it has worked out well.
3. Get her a doll, and encourage her to take care of her baby along with you. My daughter liked to change and nurse right along side me! It was nice since I spent so much time nursing that she had an “activity” to do too.
4. If they both need you, and they will, go to the older one first. The baby doesn’t know what’s happening, but the older one is processing way more emotionally right now. The baby can cry while you tend to the older one, and will be more resiliant for it.
5. Make your bed a cozy spot for all of you. I kept toddler books and toys on my night stand and in the first 3-4 weeks all three of us spent a lot of time just chilling in the bed, nursing, changing, playing, reading. I relaxed my rules and let my toddler eat breakfast in there. whatever works!
6. Ask your older one to help you and really encourage her to feel like she is useful and important. My older one took such pride in putting butt cream on the baby, helping with his diaper, holding him, choosing his socks, fetching his wipes, etc.
7. Books are great for preparation and beyond. We still read some of the “big sister” books we got and she enjoys them. Also, Daniel Tiger’s second season is all about the arrival of his baby sister Margaret. She wasn’t that in to TV at 22 months but we watched a few of those episodes and by now she’s all over it. I think it really helped.
8. Delegate with the baby. With my first, I was so reluctant to surrender her to anyone. With the second, anyone who happened by got to hold him as long as possible. My husband and mom also held him and took care of him whenever they were around. When I could, I tried to choose to spend solo time with the older one.
9. Spend at least 10 minutes a day one on one with your older one. It will pay dividends. Our special time was reading her books right before bed. Now that my second is on a predictable schedule, our special time is during his morning nap.
10. Cut yourself some slack. Love on your babies, get as much rest as you can, delegate as much as you can, and try to relax if possible!

ML, can you please come and live with us?! Haha. I can’t thank you enough for your thoughtful comment and helpful suggestions! I’m going to print this. :) My daughter is now in the “loves to help” stage (and seems to get so much pride from it, especially the praise!), and we’re trying to foster it as much as we can in hopes that by the time baby arrives she’ll be eager to do her thing. Also, isn’t it funny how things can change from baby 1 to baby 2 (such as appreciating any helping hand with baby 2)? There was a funny video posted on Facebook a while back that spoofed this very thing (a mom dropping off her first baby vs. second baby at the grandparents). Anyway, thanks again!

Oh I’m glad it was helpful. I didn’t mean to type such a novel, ha! You seem like a wonderful family and your newest member is going to bring you all so much joy. There’s going to be difficult moments but the nice thing is that as a second time mom, you know it goes fast so I think you can more easily enjoy the good and let the other things slide. That’s great Adriana wants to be helpful. She will be a great big sister! That video sounds hilarious, I need to check that out. So so true…Good luck with everything! (and I love the blog, thanks for being such a quality content creator).

There a group on Facebook called Canadian Stroller swap. Even if you’re buying new those ladies are a wealth of knowledge about which side by side vs tandem fits through TTC doors and other crazy info. They can find side by side strollers in pink and blue and tell you which models have ride on boards that will fit models from 2 years ago and brands that may be harder to find but have added functionality. It might help you make a decision? Best of luck in your pregnancy – you look fantastic!

Good luck finding a great double stroller, the city select is really great. I have a 2 year old and a 7 month old (20 months apart) and we honestly use our double stroller waaaayy less than I thought we would. I’ve found that babywearing is where it’s at for baby number 2. I didn’t wear my oldest very often when she was a baby, but it is practically a necessity when you have a newborn and a toddler. I used a stretchy wrap (Solly Baby wrap, amazing wrap!!!) for the first 4 months before switching to a woven wrap when she got heavier. She would be in that thing for hours every day while I made meals for myself and my toddler and played with my toddler. I don’t know how I would’ve survived the first few months without it! Now I still put her in the woven wrap or ergo whenever my toddler wants to play outside or to get her for a nap. Hands free is the best with two kids! Just wanted to suggest this, since it was the absolute best thing I bought for baby number two :)

That’s such a great point about baby wearing! Adriana was never super into being worn (weird, right?), she’s a squirmy little thing, but I have high hopes for baby #2 liking it more! It does seem like the perfect way to get more done. The only thing I struggled with in the past was how to baby wear during winter. I’ll have a newborn during fall/winter season once again, so how do you wear one over a big bulky jacket? Or do you have to take off the jacket and put the wrap on inside? Obviously this isn’t a concern when wearing baby in the house, but it’s just something I’ve been wondering about when going out! Lol.

Sorry to pipe in, but I remember Amelia (Instagram username: ameliakyoga) doing a few posts on a jacket extender or something that she uses. She’s Canadian and also had a fall/winter baby. You could scroll through her posts or reach out ?.

In Germany there’s a website called Kumja – it’s a jacket extender that fits every zipper jacket. You can use it when pregnant and then for babywearing. It really is genius! Especially because you don’t have to dress baby for going outside. Because you wear them underneath the jacket they are always comfy and warm. So even when it’s freezing cold outside you can just put your jacket on and you’re good to go!

What I always do in the winter is tie the baby on first, then put my maternity winter coat on top and zipped it up over us both. Or on less cold days I tucked a warm blanket over top of her (tucked the edges into the carrier) and I just wore a lighter jacket unzipped. But you can also buy coat extenders for babywearing and pregnancy!

Hi! I love your blog and your recipes, I tried a few from your cookbook and they we’re awsome. It’s nice to see how there are no actual limits to vegan cuisine!

I’ve been following you weekly since about january 2015 (I was then pregnant with my first baby boy who just turned one a few days ago) and I loved so much reading your pregnancy/birthstory/newborn updates, it made me even more excited about my own pregnancy. Can’t wait for the rest of the updates and to find out the sex of your second little one ! And by curiosity, don’t you think Adriana might slip out the sex of the baby?? haha

The advice your ostheopathe gave you sounds great! I will try it if I have a second baby :)
I wish you a wonderful pregnancy (for what’s left !) and a smooth and easy delivery.

Hey Anna, Happy birthday to your baby boy! The times sure flies. Thank you so much for your lovely note and kind words about my recipes and updates. I never thought anyone would actually want to read these kinds of updates, so to hear your positivity about them definitely puts a smile on my face. I hadn’t even thought about Adriana slipping out the sex, but I guess it sure is a possibility as she approaches her 2nd birthday now that her vocab is growing and she’s understanding so much! I better be careful. ;)

My sister has twins and she bought the Bugaboo Donkey. We all love it so much, I was actually thinking of buying one for my baby (I am 13 weeks pregnant). The best thing about it is, that it can be later used as a stroller for one child and it has the best side basket for just about anything. We are still deciding which one to buy, because we are expats right now, but plan to go home in a year and a half and I don’t know if it makes sense to fly the stroller with us, or just sell it here. Best of luck!

Hey Hester, Thanks so much for your congrats! I hope you and your little one are doing well. :) Times flies, eh? Regarding Barre3, I pay for their online classes (I think it’s around $15/month)! It’s so convenient to pop open my laptop and just workout right in my bedroom. I used to love going to physical locations for the classes, but things are so busy with Adriana I find the convenience of at home workouts is really working for me now. You can find out more about their online classes here: http://barre3.com/subscription (I have no affiliation with them by the way!) I saw that they are now offering live streaming classes which also sounds exciting, but I haven’t tried those yet.

I have 2 boys who are 26 months apart. My youngest is just a bit younger than Adriana, he just turned 19 months. I found the first year with both of them quite difficult. I always felt torn between the two of them and worried that my oldest wasn’t getting enough attention. It was hard because I was breastfeeding and that takes a lot of time as you know. I tried setting my older son up with activities, but his attention span was short (what 2 year old doesn’t have a short attention span?), so he would get bored quickly and then want my attention. I found that he often misbehaved while I was breastfeeding. It was his way of trying to get my attention. There were times when both of them were crying and needed me and I hated having to choose one when I was home alone with them.
My husband and my older son ended up spending a lot of time together and I was with the baby a lot. Then I started doing “mommy and Carter dates” (older son) and taking him out somewhere to do something just us. It worked wonders for our relationship and his behaviour. It made him feel so special. It was good for me too.
For stroller, we bought the City Select when baby #2 came along. We got it used on kijji. It’s a great stroller and we have been very happy with it. It works well for one child or two. Getting it used is a great option to get it much cheaper and it will still be in great shape b/c it’s a very durable stroller.
The only downside is that it is quite heavy and doesn’t corner well with both kids in it, but we have been very happy with it overall.

Hi Jenn, I so appreciate your honesty! Your experience sounds like so many of my friend’s experiences. Almost word for word! I love the idea of the one-on-one time, and think it’ll be so important. Parenting is like one big problem-solving task that never ends. ;)

So I just want you to know that “started from the bump and now I’m here” onesie just made me LOL in real life at my family bbq! Good luck with your stroller searc . My friend is also pregnant and every single one looks like an SUV I swear.

Our boy will be 2.5 when our second kid arrives this July, and one thing that is helping up prepare for Baby Sister is a lot of prep discussion. “This is where Baby Sister is going to sleep.” “Babies cry a lot, sleep a lot, and need bottles.” And it’s helped that a couple friends in our crowd have had babies recently and our boy has really enjoyed just being around them. So perhaps give your daughter a chance to interact with some babies? It’s helped for us!

Hi Amy, I love these tips! Thanks so much. Adriana has a fascination with babies right now (she’ll even kiss their faces in magazines, hahah) so I’m hoping that’s a good sign. Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!

Hi Angela,
Thank you so much for your blog, I love all the healthy recipes, so many vegan recipes are trying to be as non-healthy as possible, I get frustrated!
I was shocked to see your pregnancy announcement because you must have gotten pregnant at the same time as I did, but I lost my baby at 9 wk so I admit I was jealous of your bump.
Now, though, I have gotten pregnant again, and the pictures of your bump are just an exciting look at my future! I’ve been going back and reading your updates from your first pregnancy, too, since this will be my first baby.
Thank you again for the healthy recipes to help baby grow strong, and all the great pregnancy tips! I loved the hummus and veggies tip, I hope you’ll do another post on what you eat– I find it so helpful!
Sending happy baby vibes to you!

Thanks so much for your kind words, Andrea! I’m so sorry to hear about your loss, and can only imagine how difficult it’s been for you. What wonderful news about your new pregnancy though, big congrats! I hope you have a happy, healthy pregnancy and are feeling well. =)

How wonderful that you are keeping up with the workouts. I couldn’t work out much in my 3rd pregnancy due to some complications, and it was such a bummer/really took awhile for me to get back into shape afterward.

It’s funny, I never worried about my son adjusting to his little sister (2 years 3 months between them). He saw the baby in the hospital (fortunately slept through the excitement of her surprise arrival the previous night), and that was great. But when we brought sister home, the poor little boy took one look and burst into tears. You aren’t supposed to lift much, but I scooped him right up then and there for some snuggle time. By the next day, however, he was very happy with little sister. I think it helped that we made everything just part of the routine, and he was involved with everything from the start.

When baby 3 came, baby 2 was 17 months old. No issues of jealousy, but I was never alone. Ever. I’d nurse on one side, and sister would be on the other, switch sides, and she’d move to the other side. It was intense, but also very sweet.

I think it’s often parents’ anxiety that little ones pick up on. If you are calm, and keep up routines and plenty of one-on-one time, I think kids adjust pretty smoothly.

Hi Angela,
We had our second daughter on 5/4/16 and our daughters are about 28 months apart (I’m so bad with age in months! :)). From about 20 weeks on, we started reminding Alev (our oldest) that she was going to be a big sister and that baby sister Eleni was going to come and live with us. We tried to talk about all of the things that baby sister would need help with and how important the big sister is. We also talked to her about all the special things that big sisters get to do (poo in the potty, drink chocolate milk, go to the park – we were hoping to avoid regression). Alev is in a small home daycare, so we could talk about the babies she has known at daycare and what they’re like. We would also send Alev presents from her baby sister periodically – nothing big, a coloring book or bubbles here and there. When I was full term, we talked to Alev about how mama and daddy would need to get baby sister from the doctor and that her grandparents were going to come to her house and play for a little but. By the time I actually delivered, Alev had a pretty good grasp about what was going on and was SO excited. I felt like talking a lot about how life would be like with her sister helped a lot.
We use the Graco sit and stand stroller, which I like a lot. My two year old is pretty active and just needs a break from the running, so not strapping her in and out works for us. It’s also a click connect stroller, so it’s works with our car seat for right now.
We’re only a month in, but the transition has gone very well (knock on wood!). Alev is interested and really likes Eleni. We let her hold and kiss her when she wants but we don’t push it at all. We also made sure to keep her schedule the same and have switched to a zone defense – 1:1 all the time!!!
Congratulations!!!! So excited for you and your family :).
Shannon

Hey Shannon, Congrats on your new little one! So happy to hear that things are off to a great start. It sounds like you really put in the groundwork!! Thanks for all your tips. We recently started talking to A about the baby and I hope by September she’ll have some sort of understanding too. :)

I have been a HUGE fan of your blog for a couple of years now – I will be 23 weeks pregnant tomorrow and am vegan but my Doctor told me I needed to start eating animal protein and I really don’t want to. What would be an ideal day of food to make sure I am hitting my requirements? Thank you!!!

Hey Rachael, Congrats on your pregnancy! While I can’t give you specific nutrition advice, I can show you a blog post I put together during my first pregnancy: A sample high-protein vegan menu: http://ohsheglows.com/2014/05/07/sample-high-protein-vegan-menu/ I hope this helps!